How Do I? - Make My Own MP3 Files
This is a process known as ripping. No, that doesn't mean you are ripping somebody off. It refers to ripping a track off a CD. Note that ripping an audio track off a CD does the CD no harm.
First you need a good CD-ROM reader. Many newer CD-ROM drives are capable of audio extraction just fine. Many older ones can't handle the process very well. Playing a CD in a PC CD-ROM drive is simple. Extracting the data that needs to be converted is not. CD-ROM drives were not originally meant to be used to extract the binary digital audio data that is needed to complete the conversion process. The format that is used to store audio is a lot different than the format that is used to store files like on an installation CD. If the documentation for the CD-ROM drive states it is designed for audio extraction you are probably ok. If not, rip a few tracks and see what the results are. Extracting audio off a CD is not a simple process of reading data like you would a data CD or hard drive. Complicated timing processes are used in the extraction process.
Good MP3 rippers have error detection and error correcting routines built into them. CDex, a free ripper, is a good example. Many of the high-end rippers try to isolate the user from errors and this can result in extracted tracks that may not be as clean as you want. Clicks, pops, glitches are possible if you aren't aware of a problem during the ripping process. But with the many complicated settings necessary to accommodate the many different CD-ROM drives out there you may want to be isolated from the technical side. It's up to you depending on your comfort with technical issues.
Your computer's power is a big factor. You may be unhappy with the results on a 486 (many rippers won't work on anything but a Pentium class CPU). The more CPU clock speed you have and the more RAM you have determine the speed at which you will rip and the quality of the result.
With most rippers you stick a CD in your CD-ROM drive and the list of tracks will show up on your screen. In most cases they will be labeled as Track01, Track02, and so on. Most CDs don't have the text data stored on them (like artist, title, etc.) and many CD-ROM drives are not capable of reading it even if it were there. Even if you have a CD-ROM drive capable of reading the newer extended format CDs, and the CD is an extended format CD, you have to be using a ripper that is also capable of recognizing the format. In cases where you can't get the text info off the CD there are Internet servers capable of getting the information to you. Most rippers are capable of querying these servers and filling in the text information. You would connect to the Internet and select the CDDB function. Each CD pressed has a unique serial number embedded on it, even copies of originals. Servers like CDDB store the track information related to that serial number. The only hassle is that CDDB information is entered by normal everyday people like you and me. They can't always spell right and often they will enter the information in all uppercase letters. If you are a stickler for detail then you can request the information and edit it to suit your taste.
You don't really need all this text information to rip a track. But if you intend on creating a sizable library of files you will want some way to organize it. It's much easier to find an MP3 file called Beatles - Hey Jude.mp3 than Track01.mp3. The generally accepted standard is to name MP3 files Artist - Title.mp3. Many rippers will also subdivide your tracks into folders. For instance, let's say we are ripping all the tracks off a CD. The CD is a Beatles CD. The ripped audio tracks would be written into a folder structure like this:
C:\Program Files\My Ripper\My Music\Beatles\First Song.mp3
C:\Program Files\My Ripper\My Music\Beatles\Second Song.mp3
C:\Program Files\My Ripper\My Music\Beatles\Third Song.mp3
and so on...
I would still suggest specifying that you would like the artist included in the file name for future use.
C:\Program Files\My Ripper\My Music\Beatles\Beatles - First Song.mp3
C:\Program Files\My Ripper\My Music\Beatles\Beatles - Second Song.mp3
C:\Program Files\My Ripper\My Music\Beatles\Beatles - Third Song.mp3
and so on...
This way if you ever copy or move the file to another location you don't lose the artist information.
Now's a good time to discuss ID3 tags. You can get more information on ID3 here. Your ripper may have the capability of storing ID3 tag information in the MP3 files you create. If so, I would suggest using it. ID3 tags are simply the text information (artist, title, etc.) embedded in the MP3 file itself. If you ever decide to organize your MP3 files in a music library or database the programs that accomplish this can extract the relevant information from the ID3 tags. Artist, Title, Album, Track number, Genre and Comments are the most common ID3 tags available. ID3 version 2 offers tons of storable information, even pictures (like an album cover). You can store both ID3v1 and ID3v2 tags in the same MP3 file. They don't increase the file size by enough to notice so you may as well start getting organized now.
You may need to test your CD-ROM reader so the ripper can determine the best settings to use. I would suggest you first turn auto-insert notification in Windows off. Auto-insert notification is a nifty little feature in Windows that automatically executes a predefined program on a CD when it is first inserted into your CD-ROM drive. This nifty little feature is capable of really screwing things up in relation to audio extraction.
Click your Start button, choose Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. You should see a window like this:
Click on the Device Manager tab:
Double-click on CD-ROM. Double-click on each CD-ROM drive you have. The properties window for each CD-ROM drive will show. For each CD-ROM drive you'll see a checkbox next to Auto insert notification:
Uncheck each one. Click OK on each one. Close the System window and you'll have to reboot now. Do it. Then come back here (you can bookmark this link so you can return, right-click the word "here" and click on Add to favorites or whatever your browser uses to set a bookmark).
Before we were so rudely interrupted we were setting our CD-ROM drive settings in your ripper program. Your ripper may test it for you or you may have to select your CD-ROM drive from a list. Most likely you'll have to select it from a list. I would suggest leaving it set at the default setting and only change things if you are unsatisfied with the results.
Stick an audio CD in your CD-ROM drive and begin the extraction. Have patience, it may take awhile. In fact, the longer it takes the more chance you have extracting a good file. This may be the time to use that CD cleaner you got last Christmas. Make sure you have all other unnecessary applications shut down. Disable your virus scanner and disable your screen saver. Disconnect from the Internet if you use a dial-up connection. Just let the program do it's thing without interruption.
Hit the Go button and watch the progress bar!
Use your MP3 audio player to test your results.
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